Turkey hunting systems and methods

ABSTRACT

Rather than trying to call a gobbler and waiting for the gobbler to approach, the hunter instead attempts to seek a gobbler while holding a decoy. As the hunter comes within sight of the gobbler, he can slowly move (e.g., tilt and/or rotate) the decoy so that its fan moves in a manner that mimics movement of a real turkey. It has been found that the gobbler will often fixate on the decoy failing to notice the hunter even when he is not well camouflaged. In fact, the gobbler will often approach the decoy in an aggressive manner making it much less wary than in a typical hunt where a hunter is attempting to make calls that imitate a hen. When the hunter feels that the gobbler is fixated on the decoy, he can couple the decoy to his weapon thereby freeing both of his hands for operating his weapon.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 61/818,774, entitled “Turkey Hunting Systems and Methods” and filedon May 2, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference.

RELATED ART

In a typical turkey hunt, a hunter will use a turkey call that mimicsthe sounds of a hen in an effort to entice a gobbler to advance towardthe call. In such situation, as the gobbler advances with theexpectation of mating with a hen, the gobbler is often wary of unusualsounds or activity and can be easily frightened or startled. Indeed, itis important for the hunter to remain hidden using extensive camouflageand to generate the calls skillfully in order to fool the gobbler intobelieving that the calls are originating from a real hen withoutalerting the gobbler to the hunter's presence. Despite a hunter's bestefforts and skill, it is often difficult to successfully lure a gobblerto the hunter resulting in many unsuccessful hunts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure can be better understood with reference to the followingdrawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scalerelative to each other, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the disclosure. Furthermore, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the severalviews.

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional perspective view illustrating a weaponsystem for hunting turkeys.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a decoy articulation system having adecoy holding apparatus and a handle that is positioned on the decoyholding apparatus, such as is depicted by FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating the decoy articulation systemdepicted by FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating the decoy articulation systemdepicted by FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a rear view illustrating the articulation system depicted byFIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a three-dimensional perspective view illustrating the weaponsystem depicted by FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a rear view illustrating the weapon system depicted by FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a top view illustrating the decoy holding apparatus and handledepicted by FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 illustrates a hunter carrying a conventional turkey decoy thatcan be modified for mounting on a weapon system, such as is depicted byFIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a rear view illustrating the conventional turkey decoydepicted by FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a three-dimensional perspective view of a turkey decoy thatis coupled to a handle positioned on a decoy holding apparatus, such asis depicted by FIG. 2.

FIG. 12 is a side view illustrating the decoy holding apparatus depictedby FIG. 2 with the handle removed from the decoy holding apparatus.

FIG. 13 is a top view illustrating the decoy handling apparatus depictedby FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a handle and an insert ofa decoy holding apparatus, such as is depicted by FIG. 2.

FIG. 15 is a bottom view illustrating the handle depicted by FIG. 2.

FIGS. 16A and 16B depict a handle mounted on an insert of a decoyholding apparatus, such as is depicted by FIG. 2, while the handle iscoupled to a turkey decoy.

FIG. 17 depicts the handle depicted by FIG. 16A.

FIG. 18 is a side view illustrating the handle depicted by FIG. 16A.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for huntingturkeys.

FIG. 20 is a side view illustrating a handle that can be positioned on adecoy holding apparatus.

FIG. 21 is a side view illustrating the handle depicted by FIG. 20 aftera trigger has been actuated.

FIG. 22 is a three-dimensional perspective view illustrating a decoyarticulation system having the handle depicted by FIG. 20 mounted on adecoy holding apparatus.

FIG. 23 is an exploded view illustrating the decoy holding apparatusdepicted by FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a three-dimensional perspective view illustrating the decoyarticulation system depicted by FIG. 22 after a support element has beenraised relative to the position of the support element in FIG. 22.

FIG. 25 is a three-dimensional perspective view illustrating the decoyarticulation system depicted by FIG. 24 after a pair of couplingmechanisms have been inserted into the decoy holding apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure generally relates to turkey hunting systems andmethods. In one exemplary embodiment, a hunter carries a turkey decoy,and a portion of the decoy (referred to as the decoy's “fan”) appearssimilar to the feathers or “fan” of a real turkey (e.g., a gobbler).Rather than trying to call a gobbler and waiting for the gobbler toapproach, the hunter instead attempts to seek a gobbler while holdingthe decoy in front of him. As the hunter approaches or comes withinsight of the gobbler, he can slowly move (e.g., tilt and/or rotate) thedecoy so that its fan moves in a manner that mimics movement of a realturkey. It has been found that the gobbler will often fixate on thedecoy failing to notice the hunter even when he is not well camouflaged.In fact, the gobbler will often approach the decoy in an aggressivemanner making it much less wary than in a typical hunt where a hunter isattempting to make calls that imitate a hen.

In one exemplary embodiment, the decoy is adapted for mounting on thehunter's weapon (e.g., shotgun, rifle, or bow). When the hunter feelsthat the gobbler is fixated on the decoy, he can couple the decoy to hisweapon in order to free both of his hands for operating his weapon. Thedecoy is preferably configured such that, while it is coupled to thehunter's weapon, the hunter can continue to move the decoy so that itsfan continues to mimic movement of a real turkey, thereby helping thehunter to move closer to the gobbler without alerting or startling it.Using such techniques, the hunter can move into a good position forshooting the turkey, increasing the likelihood that the hunt will besuccessful.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a weapon system 20 that can beused for turkey hunting according to the techniques described herein. Asshown by FIG. 1, the system 20 comprises a weapon 22 to which a decoyarticulation system 23 is coupled. In the exemplary embodiment shown byFIG. 1, the weapon 22 is implemented as a conventional shotgun having abarrel 28, a forend 31, a receiver 33, and a stock 36. As known in theart, ammunition is loaded into the receiver 33 and fired through thebarrel 28 during operation. Both the receiver 33 and barrel 28 aretypically metallic. In other embodiments, other types of weapons 22 arepossible, such as rifles, bows, or other types of shotguns.

The decoy articulation system 23 shown by FIG. 1 has a decoy holdingapparatus 25 and a removable handle 44, which will be described in moredetail below. In one exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 25 is composedof plastic and has embedded magnets (not shown in FIG. 1) that are usedto magnetically couple the apparatus 25 to the weapon 22. Specifically,the magnets generate magnetic fluxes that interact with metalliccomponents of the weapon 22 (e.g., receiver 33 and/or barrel 28) inorder to generate magnetic forces that hold the apparatus 25 on theweapon 22. In other embodiments, other types of materials may be usedfor the apparatus 25, and other types of techniques may be used tosecure the apparatus 25 on the weapon 22.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the apparatus 25 while the handle 44 iscoupled to the apparatus 25. The apparatus 25 has a generallyrectangular base 45 that contacts the receiver 33 when the apparatus 25is coupled to the weapon 22, as shown by FIG. 1. Extending from therectangular base 45 is a curved support element 47 (e.g., an arm), andthe top of the support element 47 forms a platform 49 on which thehandle 44 rests. In other embodiments, other shapes for the base 45 andsupport element 47 are possible. As shown by FIG. 2, a surface of thebase 45 that faces the weapon 22 has a pattern of raised ribs 46 forcontacting the receiver 33.

As further shown by FIG. 2, the ribs 46 run between raised compartments49 and 52 that hold magnets (not shown in FIG. 2). Specifically,circular compartments 49 respectively hold circular magnets (not shown)corresponding to the shape of the compartments 49, and rectangularcompartments 52 respectively hold rectangular magnets (not shown)corresponding to the shape of the compartments 52. In other embodiments,other shapes of the magnets and/or compartments 49 and 52 are possible.

As described above, the magnets in the compartments 49 and 52 generatemagnetic fluxes that interact with metallic components of the weapon 22in order to induce sufficient magnetic forces for securing the apparatus25 to the weapon 22. If desired, the apparatus 25 can be removed fromthe weapon 22 by pulling the apparatus 25 with sufficient force toovercome the magnetic forces holding the apparatus 25 against the weapon22. FIG. 3 depicts a side view of the apparatus 25 and handle 44 from aperspective opposite of that shown by FIG. 2, and FIGS. 4 and 5 showfront and rear views, respectively, of the apparatus 25 and handle 44.

As shown by FIGS. 2 and 3, the base 45 has holes 53 through which straps(not shown) can be inserted in order to help secure the apparatus 25 tothe weapon 22. For example, one strap can be inserted through a pair ofthe holes 53 and wrap around the weapon 22 for securing the apparatus 25to the weapon 22. Further, another strap can be inserted through theother pair of holes 53 and wrap around the weapon 22 for securing theapparatus 25 to the weapon 53. It is possible to use either the strapsor magnets or a combination of the straps and magnets to secure theapparatus 25 to the weapon 22.

FIG. 6 depicts a three-dimensional perspective view of the system 20,and FIG. 7 depicts a rear view of the system 20. As shown by FIG. 7, thecurvature of the support element 47 provides a space 63 between theplatform 49 and the weapon 22 permitting the hunter to see down thebarrel 28 through the space 63, such as when the hunter has positionedthe stock against his shoulder while aiming. As an example, the weapon22 may have a front sight (not shown), e.g., a bead or blade, positionedclose to the end of the barrel 28 that can be used for aiming byaligning the front sight with a target, as is known in the art. Thehunter may peer through the space 63 for seeing the front sight in orderto aim the weapon 22. It is possible also for a scope (not shown) to bemounted on the weapon 22 for assisting the hunter in aiming. Such scopemay be positioned such that its field of view passes through the space63 in order to see a target for aiming.

In one exemplary embodiment, the handle 44 is ergonomically shaped toeasily and comfortably fit in the hand of a hunter when he has theweapon 22 positioned for firing, such as when he has the stock 36 ispositioned against his shoulder. In this regard, referring to FIG. 8,which depicts a top view of the apparatus 25 and handle 44, the handle44 has an oval cross-sectional shape, although other shapes of thehandle 44 are possible in other embodiments. The side 68 of the handle44 facing the hunter is curved and has a smooth contour so that thisside 68 comfortably rests in the palm of the hunter's hand when he isholding the handle 44. The opposite side 69 of the handle 44 that facesaway from the hunter has a plurality of finger grooves 72 (FIG. 2) intowhich the hunter's fingers may respectively fit when holding the handle44.

As shown by FIG. 8, the top of the handle 44 has a hole 76 for receivinga coupling mechanism (e.g., a screw) that could be coupled to aconventional turkey decoy 75, such as is depicted by FIG. 9. When thecoupling mechanism is implemented as a screw, the surface of the hole 76is preferably threaded for receiving such screw. As shown by FIG. 10,the decoy 75 has a frame 82 to which the screw can be coupled. Referringagain to FIG. 9, the decoy 75 has a fan 85 that resembles the feathersor “fan” of a real gobbler.

An exemplary embodiment of a decoy 77 is shown by FIG. 11. As shown byFIG. 11, the decoy 77 has a hollow body 87 that is coupled to a fan 85.The decoy 77 may be formed by modifying a conventional decoy 75 toinclude a coupling mechanism for coupling the decoy 75 to the handle 44.The front surfaces of the body 87 and fan 85 may be shaped to resemble areal turkey, like the conventional decoy 75 shown by FIG. 9, but suchshaping is not shown in FIG. 11 for simplification. As shown by FIG. 11,the decoy 77 has a coupling mechanism 89 that is coupled to a hinge 90mounted on the decoy's frame 82. In the embodiment depicted by FIG. 11,the coupling mechanism 89 is implemented as a screw, but other types ofcoupling mechanisms are possible in other embodiments. Further, thedecoy 77 is coupled to the handle 44 by inserting (e.g., screwing) thecoupling mechanism 89 into the hole 76 (FIG. 8) in the top surface ofthe handle 44. As will be described in more detail hereafter, the fan 85can be tilted in order to resemble fan movements of a real turkeywithout changing the orientation of the body 87.

FIGS. 12 and 13 depict the decoy holding apparatus 25 when the handle 44has been removed therefrom. The apparatus 25 has an insert 88 thatextends upward from the platform 49 formed by the top of the supportelement 47. In one exemplary embodiment, the insert 88 is cylindrical,but other shapes are possible in other embodiments. As shown by FIGS. 14and 15, the bottom of the handle 44 has a hole 91 for receiving theinsert 88. In this regard, when a hunter desires to mount the decoy 77on the weapon 22, the hunter moves the decoy 77 relative to theapparatus 25 such that the insert 88 is inserted into the hole 91 untilthe decoy 77 rests on the apparatus 25. Having the insert 88 insertedinto the hole 91 helps to prevent the decoy 77 from falling off of theapparatus 25. Thus, after positioning the decoy 77 on the apparatus 25,the hunter can release the decoy 77 thereby freeing both of his handsfor operating the weapon 22.

In one exemplary embodiment, a magnet 95 (FIGS. 13 and 14) is embeddedin the top end of the insert 88. In addition, as shown by FIG. 14, thehandle 44 has a magnet 96 that comes in close proximity to the magnet 95when the handle 44 is positioned on the holding apparatus 25 such that amagnetic force is generated for attracting one magnet to the other. Suchforce helps to hold the decoy 77 in position unless the hunter providesa sufficient force for moving the decoy 77 in a desired manner, such aslifting the handle 44 off of the apparatus 25. The use of the magnets 95and 96 helps to keep the handle 44 secured to the apparatus 25 and,specifically, the insert 88 helps to prevent rattling noises that couldotherwise result from jostling of the handle 44 relative to the insert88.

In one exemplary embodiment, the handle 44 is manufactured by insertinginto the hole 91 an insert 99 having the magnet 96 such that it ispositioned at the top of the handle 44, as shown by FIG. 14. The hole 76for receiving a coupling mechanism (not shown in FIG. 14) that couplesthe handle 44 to the decoy 77 passes through a wall of the handle 44 andthe insert 99. As described above, the surface of the hole 76, includinga portion of the surface formed by the insert 99, may be threaded. Whenthe handle 44 is mounted on the decoy holding apparatus 25, the insert88 of the decoy holding apparatus 25 contacts the insert 99 of thehandle 44 such that the magnets 95 and 96 are in close proximity to oneanother.

In addition, referring to FIG. 15, the handle 44 may also bemanufactured by joining two portions 121 and 122 (e.g., halves) of aplastic casing or a casing of other types of materials. The insert 99may be positioned in one of the portions 121 or 122, as shown by FIG.14, before the portions 121 and 122 are joined during manufacturing.

While the decoy 77 is positioned on the apparatus 25, the hunter canattempt to move the decoy 77 so that it simulates movement of a realgobbler. As an example, the hunter can grasp the handle 44 and rotatethe handle 44 about the insert 88 thereby causing the decoy 77 to rotatein a like manner. Also, the hunter can move the weapon 22 on which thedecoy 77 is mounted, thereby causing the decoy 77 to similarly move. Inaddition, in one exemplary embodiment, the decoy 77 is coupled to atrigger that the hunter can move in order to cause the decoy 77 and,specifically, the decoy's fan 85 to tilt forward and backward. Suchtrigger can be coupled to at least one pulley (not shown) to cause thetilting motion. In other embodiments, other techniques for moving thedecoy 77 are possible.

FIGS. 16A, 16B, 17, and 18 depict an exemplary embodiment of a decoy 77that is mounted on a handle 44 for permitting the decoy 77 to tilt viaactuation of a trigger 92. Note that, in FIGS. 16A, 16B, 17, and 18, thehandle 44 is shown with the portion 122 removed for illustrativepurposes in order to show components normally hidden within the handle44. As shown by FIGS. 16A and 16B, the decoy's hinge 90 is mounted on aframe bracket 93 that is coupled the frame 82. The hinge 90 has a pin 95that is coupled to the frame bracket 93 and a fan bracket 94, and thefan bracket 94 pivots about the pin 95. The fan bracket 94 is coupled tothe fan 85 such that movement of the fan bracket 94 causes acorresponding movement of the fan 85. The brackets 93 and 94 are coupledto a spring 96, which applies a force for maintaining the fan 85 in anupright position, as shown by FIG. 11. The trigger 92 is coupled to thefan bracket 94 via a cable 97. To tilt the fan 85, the hunter can pressthe trigger 92 causing it to rotate about a pin 120 (FIG. 18) clockwiserelative to the perspective shown by FIG. 16B. Such rotation causes thecable 97 to pull the fan bracket 94, thereby causing the fan bracket 94and, hence, the fan 85 to pivot about the pin 95. Such rotation tiltsthe fan 85 backward. FIG. 18 shows the decoy 77 after the fan 85 hasbeen rotated 90 degrees backward via actuation of the trigger 92.

When the trigger 92 is released, the force of the spring 96 forces thefan bracket 94 and, hence, the fan 85 to pivot about the pin 95 untilthe fan 85 reaches the upright position shown by FIG. 11. The movementof the fan 85 back to the upright position also creates a force appliedto the trigger 92 through the cable 97 that causes the trigger 92 torotate counterclockwise back to its original position prior toactuation. Note that the hunter can modulate the trigger 92 by applyingvarying levels of force to the trigger 92 to cause the fan 85 to rotateback and forth in order to simulate typical fan movement by realturkeys.

In one exemplary embodiment, the handle 44 has a locking mechanism 100(FIG. 16A) for locking the handle 44 depending on whether it is beinggripped by the hunter. In this regard, when the handle 44 is gripped bythe hunter, the locking mechanism 100 is deactivated such that it doesnot prevent movement of the handle 44 and, hence, the decoy 77 that iscoupled to the handle 44. Releasing the handle 44 activates the lockingmechanism 100 such that it prevents the handle 44 and, hence, the decoy77 from moving relative to the insert 88 and, hence, the weapon 22.

In the embodiment depicted by FIG. 16A, the mechanism 100 is springloaded such that it is pressed against the insert 88 when the hunter isnot gripping the handle 44. Specifically, a spring (not shown)positioned at an end 101 generates a force on the locking mechanism 100causing it to pivot about a pin 102 such that the locking mechanism 100is pressed against the insert 88. In such position, frictional forcesbetween the insert 88 and the locking mechanism 100 prevent the handle44 from moving and, specifically, rotating about the insert 88.

When the hunter grips the handle 44, the hunter's hand presses againstthe opposite end 105 of the locking mechanism 100. The force exerted bythe hunter's hand on the locking mechanism 100 causes it to pivot aboutthe pin 102 such that the locking mechanism 100 disengages the insert88. In such case, the locking mechanism 100 is separated from the insert88 allowing the handle 44 to rotate about the insert 88. Once the hunterreleases the handle 44 and, hence, the locking mechanism 100, the forceof the spring at the end 101 pushes the locking mechanism 100 againstthe insert again 88, thereby locking the handle 44.

An exemplary use and operation of the system 20 will now be described indetail with particular reference to FIG. 19.

Initially, a hunter begins a turkey hunt by carrying both the weapon 22and the decoy 77, which is coupled to the handle 44, toward a turkey asshown by block 103 of FIG. 19. As described above, the weapon 22 issecured to a decoy holding apparatus 25, but it is unnecessary for thedecoy 77 to be mounted on the apparatus 25 at this point. Rather thanattempting to call gobblers to the hunter's location, the hunter mayinstead attempt to find and approach gobblers positioning the decoy 77in front of him, as will be described in more detail below. To help finda gobbler, the hunter may use a conventional turkey call to whichgobblers may respond. Once a gobbler has been located and is in sight ofthe hunter, the hunter preferably positions the decoy 77 so that it atleast partially occludes the hunter from the gobbler's sight.Specifically, the hunter 77 holds the handle 44 such that the decoy 77is in front of the hunter's face, and he may view the gobbler throughthe space 63 or around the edges of the decoy 77.

While approaching the gobbler, the hunter preferably articulates thedecoy 77 slightly, rotating and/or tilting the decoy 77, in an attemptto simulate movement of a real gobbler, as shown by block 104 of FIG.19. As described above, it is expected that the gobbler will fixate onthe decoy 77 and exhibit an aggressive type of behavior making thegobbler less wary of dangers, such as the hunter, that could otherwisestartle the gobbler. Once the hunter believes the gobbler is fixated onthe decoy 77 and is close to a good position for taking a shot at thegobbler, he couples the decoy 77 to the holding apparatus 25 and, hence,the weapon 22 by mounting the handle 44 on the support element 47 suchthat the insert 88 is inserted into the hole 91 in the bottom of thehandle 44, as shown by blocks 106 and 108 of FIG. 19.

While the decoy 77 is on the apparatus 25 and the hunter is holding thehandle 44, the hunter may continue to move the decoy 77 (e.g., rotatingand/or tilting the decoy 77) by turning the handle 44 and/or activating(e.g., pressing) the trigger 92. Once the hunter is ready to take ashot, he may release the handle 44 such that both of his hands are freeto operate the weapon 22. Peering down the barrel 28 through the space63, the hunter may aim the weapon 22 at the gobbler and then activate(e.g., fire) the weapon 22 in an effort to wound the gobbler, as shownby block 111 of FIG. 19. In this regard, while aiming at the gobbler,the hunter activates the weapon 22 by pulling the weapon's trigger suchthat ammunition is discharged through the barrel. If a bow is usedinstead, the hunter may activate the bow such that it launches an arrowtoward the gobbler. Note that the hunter and, specifically, the hunter'sface remains at least partially occluded from the gobbler's view by thedecoy 77 while the hunter is aiming at the gobbler.

Use of the decoy 77 as described above helps the hunter to approachgobblers without having to try to call the gobblers to the hunter,thereby increasing the probability that the hunt will be successful. Inaddition, the hunting techniques described herein allow the hunter toactively seek and approach gobblers challenging the hunter to move thedecoy 77 in a manner that simulates movements of real gobblers. Manyhunters may find such techniques to be more enjoyable relative totypical turkey hunts for which hunters usually call and then wait forgobblers to approach.

FIGS. 20 and 21 depict another exemplary embodiment of a handle 144similar to the handle 44 described above. As shown, the handle 144 has afan bracket 193 on which a fan 85 of a decoy 77 is mounted as describedabove for the fan bracket 94 depicted by FIG. FIG. 16A. The fan bracket193 is coupled to a spring 196 that tends to force the fan bracket 193into the upright position shown by FIG. 20. The fan bracket 193 isrotatable about a pin 199 and is coupled to a trigger 192 via a cable197. The trigger 192 is rotatable about a pin 202. Note that portionswithin the handle 144, such as the pin 199, the bottom of the fanbracket 193, the spring 196, the cable 197, and a portion of the trigger192 are normally hidden from view but are shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 forillustrative purposes.

When a user presses the trigger 192 thereby causing the trigger 192 torotate in the clockwise direction in the embodiment shown by FIG. 20,the trigger 192 pulls the bracket 193 via the cable 192 causing the fanbracket 193 to rotate about the pin 199 in the counter-clockwisedirection, as shown by FIG. 21. Such movement of the fan bracket 193causes the fan 85 to tilt. When the user releases the trigger 192, theforce from the spring 196 causes the fan bracket 193 to rotate in theopposite direction returning the fan bracket 193 to the position shownby FIG. 20.

Note that the handle 144 shown by FIG. 20 may be mounted on the decoyholding apparatus 25 shown by FIG. 12 by inserting the insert 88 intothe handle 144, as described above for the handle 44. Thus, like thehandle 44 shown by FIG. 2, the handle 144 shown by FIG. 20 may rotateabout the insert 88. Such rotation in conjunction with the movement ofthe fan bracket 193 permits three-dimensional rotation of the fan 85.

FIG. 22 depicts a decoy articulation system 123 having the handle 144 ofFIG. 20 mounted on a decoy holding apparatus 125 that is similar to thedecoy holding apparatus 25 of FIG. 12 except as will be furtherdescribed below. The decoy holding apparatus 125 has a base 145 that,like the base 45 depicted by FIG. 2, contacts the receiver 33 when theapparatus 125 is coupled to the weapon 22. In this regard, as describedabove, magnets may be used to couple the base 145 to the receiver 33 orother portion of the weapon 22. Also, the base 145 has holes 153 throughwhich a strap (not shown in FIG. 22) may be used to secure the base 145to the weapon 22, as described above for the decoy holding apparatus 25.

As shown by FIGS. 22 and 23, the apparatus 125 has a movable supportelement 152 that has a platform 149 from which an insert 188 extends. Ahandle 44 or 144 may be mounted on the apparatus 125 by positioning thehandle 44 or 144 such that the insert 188 passes through it, asdescribed above for the decoy holding apparatus 25 and handle 44. Theplatform 149 is coupled to a panel 166 that has an elongated slot 169.The base 145 has a raised tab 177, and the bottom of the platform 149has a hole (not shown) dimensioned for receiving the tab 177. In theembodiment depicted by FIG. 22, the bottom of the platform 149 rests ona top surface of the base 145 such that the tab 177 is inserted into thesupport element 152 and holds the support element 152 on the base 145.The base 145 has holes 181 for respectively receiving couplingmechanisms (not shown in FIG. 22), such as screws. In one exemplaryembodiment, the surface of each hole 181 is preferably threaded forfacilitating reception of its respective coupling mechanism. Note thatthe holes 181 are aligned with the slot 169 so that coupling mechanismscan pass through the slot 169 and into the holes 181. If desired,coupling mechanisms (not shown in FIG. 20) may be so inserted into theholes 181 through the slot 169 when the support element 152 is restingon the base 145.

Also, the support element 145 may be raised relative to the base 145, asshown by FIG. 24. In such configuration, the tab 177 may no longer bewithin the support element 152 for holding the support element 152 onthe base 145. However, the support element 152 may be secured to thebase 145 by passing coupling mechanisms 189, such as screws, into theholes 181 through the slot 169, as shown by FIG. 25. In such embodiment,the handle 144 is positioned higher relative to the weapon 22 on whichthe apparatus 125 is mounted. Such higher positioning of the handle 144may better accommodate a scope (not shown) that is mounted on the weapon22 for assisting the hunter or other user with aiming the weapon 22. Asan example, the scope may be positioned on the weapon 22 such that ithas a view through a space between the handle 144 and the weapon 22without the handle 144 occluding such view.

It should be noted that the various embodiments described herein areexemplary, and various changes and modifications to the disclosedembodiments would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill upon readingthis disclosure. As an example, it is possible to secure a decoy holdingapparatus to a weapon by inserting pins through the decoy holdingapparatus into the weapon. In addition, it is unnecessary for a hunterto wait until a gobbler is fixated on the decoy before mounting thedecoy 77 on the weapon 22. For example, a hunter may begin a hunt withthe decoy 77 mounted on the weapon 22 and, if desired, articulate thedecoy 77 during the hunt while it is mounted on the weapon 22. Variousother techniques for securing a decoy holding apparatus to a weapon,mounting a decoy on a weapon, or using the decoy to hunt turkeys arepossible.

Now, therefore, the following is claimed:
 1. A weapon system,comprising: a weapon; a turkey decoy; a decoy holding apparatus coupledto the weapon, wherein the turkey decoy is mounted on the decoy holdingapparatus; and a handle coupled to the turkey decoy, wherein the decoyholding apparatus has an insert passing through the handle.
 2. Theweapon system of claim 1, wherein the weapon comprises a shotgun.
 3. Theweapon system of claim 1, wherein the weapon comprises a rifle.
 4. Theweapon system of claim 1, wherein the weapon comprises a bow.
 5. Theweapon system of claim 1, wherein the handle is responsive to user inputfor articulating at least a fan of the turkey decoy.
 6. The weaponsystem of claim 1, wherein the decoy holding apparatus is magneticallycoupled to the weapon.
 7. The weapon system of claim 1, wherein thedecoy holding apparatus has a support element on which the turkey decoyis positioned, and wherein the support element forms a space for viewinga target between the support element and the weapon.
 8. The weaponsystem of claim 1, wherein the handle is rotatable about the insert. 9.The weapon system of claim 1, wherein the handle is configured to tilt afan of the turkey decoy.
 10. A weapon system, comprising: a weapon; aturkey decoy; a decoy holding apparatus coupled to the weapon, whereinthe turkey decoy is mounted on the decoy holding apparatus; and a handlecoupled to the turkey decoy, wherein the handle is responsive to userinput for moving a fan of the turkey decoy relative to the weapon whilethe turkey decoy is mounted on the decoy holding apparatus.
 11. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the decoy holding apparatus has an insertpassing through the handle, and wherein the handle is rotatable aboutthe insert.
 12. A method for hunting turkeys, comprising: approaching aturkey while holding a weapon and a turkey decoy; coupling a decoyholding apparatus to the weapon; coupling the turkey decoy to the weaponby inserting an insert of the decoy holding apparatus into a handle thatis coupled to the turkey decoy; and activating the weapon for woundingthe turkey while the turkey decoy is coupled to the weapon.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the weapon comprises a shotgun.
 14. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the weapon comprises a rifle.
 15. The methodof claim 12, wherein the weapon comprises a bow.
 16. The method of claim12, wherein the coupling the turkey decoy is performed during orsubsequent to the approaching.
 17. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising moving the turkey decoy relative to the weapon while theturkey decoy is coupled to the weapon.
 18. The method of claim 12,further comprising articulating at least a fan of the turkey decoy viathe handle while the turkey decoy is coupled to the weapon.
 19. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising rotating the handle about theinsert.
 20. The method of claim 12, wherein the coupling the decoyholding apparatus comprises magnetically coupling the decoy holdingapparatus to the weapon.